Article dispensing rack



Nov. 8, 1955 FIG. 2.

H. F. TEMPLE 2,723,035

ARTICLE DISPENSING RACK Filed Oct. 7, 1952 akg,

INVENTOR. HAROLD F. TEMPLE 147' T GENE Y5 States Patent Oflfice 2,723,036 Patented Nov. 8, 1955 ARTICLE DISPENSBNG RACK Application October 7, 1952, Serial No. 313,463 2 Claims. (Cl. 211 -49) This invention relates to article dispensing racks, and has particular reference to a rack for holding cigarette packs for purposes of dispensing the same in a store or other merchandising establishment, although the invention is not limited to that use.

It is common practice to store stacks of individual packs of cigarettes of various brands in a rack or frame readily accessible to the purchaser or the dispensing clerk in such a way that the selected pack may be removed without disturbing the remaining packs in the rack. One example of a rack of this general nature is disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 259,920, filed December 5, 1951 which became U. S. Patent 2,680,522 on June 8,-

1954, on which the present invention is an improvement in so far as concerns the facility with which cigarette packs may be dispensed in accordance with the selection of the purchaser.

In accordance with the invention, a wire frame or rack of appropriate dimensions is arranged for mounting on a cash register in such a way that the vision of the clerk, checker or other operator of the cash register is not obstructed by the rack, and yet the rack is accessible to him for dispensing cigarettes, this rack being so constructed as to be automatically positioned in the proper location on the cash register, and also to be adapted to several sizes and makes of cash registers without change.

in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a wire rack is arranged with vertical partitions in which stacks of cigarette packs may be arranged for access from one side of the rack either by the operator of the cash register or by the purchaser as he approaches the cash register. Spaced supporting legs extend downwardly from the lower surface of the rack and are so proportioned as to rest on a ledge of the cash register below the visual sale indicator window thereof, and thus space the rack above the top of the cash register so that the operator may have unobstructed view of the approaching customer and the store.

The supporting legs of the rack are made flexible so as to be deflected by clamping means extending between them to cause them to grip and lock the rack securely on the cash register. Such clamping means also serve as limit stops to hold the rack spaced above the cash register where the latter is not provided with a ledge on which the lower ends of the legs may rest, whereby the observation space is nevertheless provided between the top of the cash register and the bottom of the rack.

It will be seen that the dispensing rack of this invention is useful for various purposes, and is adapted for quantity production for use in numerous stores or the like, where cigarettes and other package goods are dispensed for purchase or selected by the customer.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective elevation of the package dispensing rack of this invention shown mounted on the cash register in the usual way;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation thereof; and

Fig. 3 illustrates in detail the means for securing the supporting legs of the rack on the cash register, as seen along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. v

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, numeral 10 generally designates the wire frame constituting the rack for holding numerous vertical stacks of packages 11, such as cigarette packs, for example.

I The frame 10 preferably is formed of wire, of which the three U-shaped horizontal members 12, the U-shaped diagonal bracing member 13 having side limbs 13' joined by a horizontal cross piece, the vertical end members 14, the legs 15 and cross bars 16 and 17 are of relatively heavy'gauge wire and constitute the principal load bearing elements 'of the frame 10. The vertical partitions or dividers 18, the elongated U-shaped front wall-forming members 19 and the U-shaped end wall-forming members 20 are of lighter gauge wire.

The wire members 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are welded together at their several points of intersection to constitute the frame 10. The four legs 15 are formed by two inverted U-shaped members welded at their contacting points with frame members 13 and 16. The legs 15 support the frame 10 in the vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the frame 10 may serve as a rack for holding separate vertical stacks of packages 11 between partitions 18 and the front wall-forming members 19, two of which lie between adjacent partitions 18, with the end wall-forming members 20 cooperating with theadjacent partitions 18 to hold the end stacks of packages. I

The stacks of packages 11 rest on the lower inturned ends 22 of the front wall-forming'members or limbs 19, and these inturned ends or looped portions 22 are inclined so that the packages 11 resting thereon slant downwardly toward the front wall 19, as shown in Fig. 2. Hence, the stack of packages 11 is stable and not likely to fall when jarred or the top package withdrawn.

The lower ends of legs 15 are preferably bent horizontally to form feet 23 which may be fitted with rubber friction cups or buttons 24, as shown. The spacing between the legs 15 is predetermined according to the thickness of the top 25 of a conventional cash register 26 so that the legs 15 span and fit thereover, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Also, the length of the legs 15 is greater than the height of the cash register top 25 above the ledge 27 thereof, so that the bottom of the frame 10 is held spaced above the upper surface of the register top 25 by the slot 28. Thus the vision of the clerk or checker behind the register 26 is not obscured by the filled rack, notwithstanding that it projects above the register. The clerk or checker may observe the approaching purchaser as well as the shop or store through the observation slot 28.

Extending between the legs 15 at each side of the rack is a clamping mechanism, whereby the corresponding legs 15 may be drawn together to grip the register top 25 with their rubber foot buttons 24 and thereby secure the rack on the register 26. This clamping mechanism preferably comprises a link 30 having a hook 31 loosely passed around one leg 15 and having a threaded stud 32 at its other end passing through an eye 33 secured to the other leg 15 and carrying a wing nut 34 by which the effective length of the link 30 may be increased or decreased at will. The wire of which legs 15 is made is resilient and as nut 34 is tightened, the shortening of link 30 operates to draw the corresponding legs together to thereby clamp the register top 25 securely between rubber tipped feet 23. Conversely, as nut 34 is loosened, legs 15 spring apart to release their grip on the register top 25 so that the rack may be dismounted therefrom.

As is shown especially in Fig. 2, the links 30 are positioned a substantial distance below the bottom of the frame 10, not only to gain leverage for facilitating the bending of the legs 15 toward each other as described, but also to serveas spacers to prevent the frame from dropping so far that the observation slot'28 is closed or materially reduced in width in cases Where the cash register 26 is not provided with the ledge 27 or equivalent stop to hold the frame 10 in the desired raised position.

Installation of the article dispensing rack of this invention on a cash register or other checking machine and its use will be readily understood from the foregoing description. As shown in the drawings, the rack is positioned so that the merchandise thereon is readily accessible only to the checker or cash register operator. However, it will be understood that the rack may be simply reversed on the register, so that its contents are accessible only to the purchaser, as may be required. Advertising or identifying or price cards or strips may be conveniently inserted in the channel 35 provided at the front or rear of the rack, as the case may be.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereby, but is susceptible of changes in form and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an article dispensing rack adapted to be mounted on a support including top and side walls, an upper articlesupporting portion including bottom, front and side walls defined by a plurality of wire limbs including a series of U-shaped members having vertical limbs disposed in the plane of the front and a lower looped portion bent rearwardly and upwardly to form an inclined articlesupporting bottom, a heavy wire frame portion comprising a closed, substantially rectangular loop of wire disposed in a vertical plane across the front of the rack and bent rearwardly at its ends to define the side walls, means joining said wire frame to the vertical limbs of the U-shaped members, transverse wires at the bottom of the rack traversing the looped portions and joined thereto, a pair of U-shaped wire members disposed, respectively, in the side walls of the rack and joined to the rearwardly bent ends of said heavy wire frame, column dividers in the rear face of the rack extending vertically upwardly from the bottom between said rearwardly bent looped portions and extending forwardly adjacent the top of the rack to join the front of the rack, a base portion for the rack comprising at least two inverted U-shaped members underlying the upper articlesupporting portion and adapted to span said support, feet on the depending ends of the limbs of the inverted U-shaped members, links adjustably vertically movable on the limbs, and means to secure the links in a given vertical position, whereby a viewing opening can be provided between the top of the support and the bottom of the upper rack portion, means to join at least one of said transverse bottom wires in the bottom of the upper portion of the rack to the top of the inverted U-shaped members of the base portion, and a relatively wide U-shaped bracing member having diagonal rearwardly downwardly inclined side limbs joined adjacent their upper ends to the heavy Wire frame portion and having an elongated cross piece joined to the top, rear of the inverted U-shaped members of the base portion, the space between the arms of the U-shaped bracing member being unobstructed for removal of the articles from the rack.

2. An article dispensing rack as set forth in claim 1 including an indicia supporting panel strip carried by the bracing member to identify the articles in the several columns of the upper frame portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,059,579 Tobey Apr. 22, 1913 1,520,543 Meachen Dec. 23, 1924 1,645,470 Alheit Oct. 11, 1927 1,765,043 White June 17, 1930 1,892,234 De Foe et al Dec. 27, 1932 2,119,700 Burgess June 7, 1938 2,635,744 Barton Apr. 21, 1953 

